The present invention relates to parts made of organic matrix composite material, and in particular parts for use in aircraft.
In the context of programs for developing airplanes that are ever more electrical, actuators that used to be pneumatic or hydraulic are being replaced by electric actuators that are controlled by means of electronic power modules. Nevertheless, it is necessary to provide high performance thermal management of such power modules in order to comply with the performance, weight, and volume criteria as defined for such systems.
Such thermal management requires optimized use of heatsinks present in the proximity of electronic power equipment, such as in particular streams of cold outside air in contact with surrounding walls.
The solutions presently available for cooling electronic power modules are heat exchangers (heat pipe, cold plate, etc.), fans, metal heat dissipators, etc.
The packages containing control modules are made of aluminum. Nevertheless, the technology used by those packages is no longer capable of dumping the heat generated by the power components or circuits since their density in a given volume has continued to increase over the last thirty years. In order to dump the ever-increasing amount of heat generated in such packages, it is necessary to increase the associated cooling devices, thereby increasing the bulk, the weight, and the mass of such electrical control systems.
Composite materials, and in particular composite materials made of carbon fiber reinforcement consolidated by an organic matrix, represent a good alternative to aluminum technology since they are lightweight, strong, and use carbon fibers, some varieties of which can be very good conductors of heat and electricity.
Nevertheless, and as explained in greater detail below, the resin used for forming the matrix acts as an insulator around the fibers, thereby preventing good thermal and electrical conductivity in the material, and that is harmful to dumping heat. There is thus a need to have available parts made of composite material comprising carbon fiber reinforcement densified by a resin matrix, but that nevertheless present good thermal and electrical conductivity.